Wrench



l lili llrllll Gttorneg April 2, 1946.A w. E. .DRAKE' 4wRENcH Filed Dec. 24, 1945 2 Sheets-Shee't 2 MnfredEDrm (Ittomeg Patented Apr. 2, 1946 lVVRENCII Winfred E.. Drake, Bonners Ferry, Idaho; J. H. McNally, administrator of said Winfred E. Drake, deceased, assignor of fifty .one-hundredths to George F. McGlocklin, Bonners Ferry, Idaho Application December 24, 19435 Serial No. '515,473

(c1. s1-10o) l its method of operation, together with additional Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in wrenches, and more particularly, in eXible jaw wrenches of the common typereferred to as Stillson wrenches.

It is an important object of my invention to provide, in a wrench of the type wherein relative movable handle and shank each having a jaw, simple and easily 'operable clutch means for maintaining adjustment between the shank and the handle without interfering with the utility of the wrench.

Another object of the present invention is the provision, in a wrench of the type described, of wedging members and a lock therefor to clutch the shank to the jaw handle in adjusted relation in a simple operating mechanism devoid of lcomplicated parts.

A still further object of the invention resides in the provision in a iiexible jaw wrench of the type described of clutching means between the shank and handle to hold the same in adjusted relation 'without interfering with the flexibility ing a xed jaw thereon, a shank guide to dexibly and pivotally mount a shank including a jaw and also clutch means between said handle and Shank to retain the jaws in adjusted position. Specifically, the clutch means comprises opposed unequal wedges one of which is on the jaw shank and the other is independently mounted to abut said first wedge and the shank guide; A tapered sleeve encompasses said wedges and retains them in adjusted position to thereby retain the jaws as 'thus adjusted. The arrangement and inclusion of such wedge clutching means in a iiexible jaw wrench is an important phase of my invention. Spring means may be included in the wrench between the handle and shank to press the two apart and it is preferable to include retractor spring means to tend to draw the sleeve toward the shank guide to maintain thefwedges in clutching relation to each other. Spring means voperable to move the shank longitudinally relative the handle may also be employed to facilitate the adjusting of the clutch mechanism during such times as the sleeve is removed from close encompassing position.

The novel features that I consider characteristic of my invention are setforth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and lsu objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood vfrom the following description of Ispecic embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a preferred form of my wrench'with portionsxbroken away .and others shown insection forconvenience of illustration;

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken on the planel indicated as 2-2 of Figure l;

' Figure 3 is a side view of the movable jaw and its shank,`the latter being partly in section;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the wedge;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a tapered sleeve employed in the clutch mechanism;

Figure `6 is a side View of aimodied form of wrench employing thel principles ofmy invention, j

Figure '7 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 'i-T of Figure 6; and y Figure 8 isa perspective view of a filler block used in connection with my wrench.

A wrench ofv the flexible jaw type must have at'least two totally 'distinct characteristics; it must be capable of rrapid and secure adjustment without loss ofY iiexibility; and it must provide a'locking'means for an infinite number of adjusted positions Ywithin the range of adjustment which `means are simple to construct and positive in operation. Accordingly, a Apreferred embodiment of my invention, referring to Figures 1 through 5 of the drawings, is constituted by Wrench handle i0 having iixed thereon` jaw l2 and outstanding on oneside av pair of flanges I4 which witnller block i6 secured therebetween byk pin I8 forms the passage 20.' Blockl I 6 has groove 22 on its rear, facefor a purpose later to be described.

In the passage v2!)- isi loosely mounted the shank 24 of the jaw 2B opposite to jaw I2 and movable relative thereto to grip objects. Shank 24= lies in the assembledA wrench alongside the handle I0 and has a groove '28 on that face nearest the handle in which is `placed thefspring 30 anchored at 32 to theshank near its rear end and forwardly to hook 34 on the handle. Outwardly acting Vsprings '36', 36 each having a cap 38 press on the inner'faee'of shank 24 to tend to kspread the same from the handle. Cheek plates 40 onthe handle cover these springs and form the sides of a groove in which the shank slides in adjusting movements.

As can `best be Seen in Figure 3 the vshank has a.v rearward flare on its outer edge formed by the' wedge portion l-,fhere shown as integral with the tion and urges the shank there enclosed shank but which may obviously be separably associated therewith.V The wedge portion provides from or a new hold securedwthmore advantage the face 46v which' slopes upward and rearward l with relation to the axis of the handle ID.

- A wedge V48 is superposed upon face 45 with its widest portion on head 49 resting in groove 22 ofthe shank guide... Face 50 'ofthe wedge lies upon face 4Q of the shank wedge portion. The term unequal is used herein to refer tothe dif-g 'Y fering taper angles of the wedge and the wedge portion; i.V e., one has greater taper than the other. It is to be understood that each has great#- er than zero angle of taper. The wedge and the wedge portion are preferably unequal so that the space they occupy between'facel 5I on the shank 24 and face 53 on theV wedge is greater forward thanthat to the rear. A sleeve 52 tapered in ac- Y jcordance'with the relative tapering'of the two surfaces 5l and 53 encompasses the wedge as well as the shank and its wedge portion to maintainV the two paits in* frictional engagement at the various adjusted positions of the shank.

rit

Sleeve 52 has an ear V54 to which' may be at-V Y Vtached spring 56 at one end. rThe other end of the spring is secured forwardlyto the handle by loop member58. This spring tends to constantly urge the sleeve 52 forward into close engagement about the wedges to lock them together.

In Figures 6 and 7 I show'a slightly modified form of my'inventionin which theprimary difference over the device above described resides in the formation of the guide means for the shank of the movable jaw. Handle E0 has jaw B2 rela-` tiveV to which is mounted the opposed jaw 64 on shank' 66. YShank 66 Vhas a wedge portion 68 against which is placed the wedge 'lil that is` retained iny clutching position by sleeve 12. A spring 'i4 operates to urge the sleeve forwardly to gripping 'relation on the wedges `and'springl tends to spread the shank 66 from handle 60. A sleeve 18 is slidably'mounted on handle portion 6D and has Y' a forward slotted ear (notshown) which enclosesY a pin (not shown) that limits movement of the sleeve 18. -A yoke 84 between sleeve 12 and ear sa iinksthe two parts together, when maman pressure is applied totrigger portion 86 of the sleeve 18, the sleeve Vl2 is drawn rearward'against Y n the spring 14 to loosen the wedges. Y

The guide for theshank 66 comprises plates 90 pivotallymounted on each side of the handle on pin 92 and having'block 94 which is grooved at 96 to receive a head end portion of the wedgel. A U-shaped loop V98 Yloosely encloses the opposite edge of handle 60 and a leaf spring |60' secured in place by screw I 02 presses the U-member and the guide platesinto more lateral posialignment with the handle 60.

' f Operationr '4 With the wrench in the set position of the jaws shown in Figures 1V and 6it will be apparent that an object maybe gripped between the jaws. Turningpressure is Vapplied to anobject when the handle is swungV downward or clockwise ac cording to the viewsof the drawings. The `wedges in Figure 1 are retained in clutching relationY by thetapered sleeve 52 and th'eshank 24 is held against longitudinal'movement which would tend to open thevjaws apart.-A The same is true of the showing of Figure 6. I I 1 When the wrench is swung counterclockwise to thegshowing .of the two 'figures of 'thedrawings the jaws tend to loosen on'therobjectg'being gripped and the wrench may be Ldiseng'agedthere.-4

toward to the mechanic.

.Adjustment of the jaws is obtained by drawing the encompassing sleeve rearward from engagement about the wedges which thereby become loose permitting the springs 30 or 14 to urge the movable jaws in each case away 'from the handle jaws.l Extension of the jaws is thus more or less automatic. Closing of them is produced by manual manipulation of the shank rearward against the action ofthe aforementioned springs. When the jaws are set in a desired relation, the sleeve aroundthe Vwedges is released and permitted to closely engage and clamp them'together to regainV the clutching action.

While I have shown and described particular embodiments of 'my invention, it will occur t'o those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention, and I, therefore, aim in the appended claims to cover all such'changes and lmodifications -as fall within the true spiritl and scope of my invention. f

Thus having described my inventiony'I claim: I

opposed jaws, one of said jaws beingV attached to a shank adjustable with respect .to said other jaw, guidel means 'between said other jaw and adjustable shank for guiding and pivotally supporting said shank, opposed unequal wedges and an encompassing tapered sleeve, said wedgesand sleeve being carried by said shank and v'guide for limiting movement of said shank, andmanually engageable means on said handle and connected to said tapered -sleeve to move the same in a manner to loosen the wedges to permit movement of the shank relative thehandle.

3. A wrench, comprising: ahandle havingjsecured thereto a rst jaw, a second jaw,a shank secured to said second jaw, a shank guide secured to said handle for guiding and pivotally supporting said shank, springmeans between said handle and shank operableY to presssaid shank in said shank guide away from said handle, said .shank having a wedge portion, a wedge unequal n positioned loppositely in 'contact Ywith the wedge' to said wedge portion and positioned oppositely in contact withV the wedge portion of the shank, said shankguide-having a guide groove and said wedge acting on said shank guide in sliding posi'f Y tion in said'groove, and a tapered sleeve encompassing said shank and its wedge portion and Y said wedgeto retain the shank in Xed longi-'nA tudinal relationto said handle but without inter-y fering with pivotal movement of the shank.

V4. A wrench;V comprising: a'handle having -secured thereto a rst jawba second jaw, a shank secured to said second jaw, a shank guide secured 'to said handle for'guiding and pivotally supporting said shank, said Yshank having a wedge por tion, a wedge unequal to said wedge portion and portion of the shank, said shank-guide havingv a guide groove and saldwedge acting onsaidshankguide in sliding position in said groove, a tapered sleeve encompassing said shank and its wedge portion, said Wedge to retain the shank in xed longitudinal relation to said handle but without interfering with pivotal movement of the shank, and spring means urging said sleeve into clamping engagement about said wedge portion and said Wedge. f

5. A wrench, comprising: a handle having secured thereto a first jaw, a second jaw, a shank secured to said second jaw, a shank guide secured to said handle for guiding and pivotally supporting said shank, said shank having a Wedge portion, a Wedge unequal to said wedge portion and positioned oppositely in contact therewith, -guide means between the wedge and said shank guide for guiding in and out movement of said wedge;

10 ment of the shank and said second jaw.

WINFRED E. BRAKE. 

